The lonely cliff arched itself towards a sprawling ocean, guarded by sea gulls and weeds. Dusty brown boulders sprang over the entire stretch of the cliff, with occasional patches of purple flowers over the recess.The cliff was infectious with peace and aroma from the rich flora. A sea gull with its wide spread wings landed on the cliff top, not far from a couple. The couple lay on their backs, gazing the star studded sky. Their romantic date was unperturbed by the growing noise erupted by the monstrous waves.
When viewed from above, one can a picture a beautiful girl lying on her silky hair and her tender fingers brushing her boyfriend's cheek. Priyanka felt the warmth from her soul mate Karthik. It was their date night after a series of tiffs and mishaps. Karthik rode his days as an astrophysicist, accentuated by the fact that everything happens for a reason. In short, he was deeply associated with a strong sense of logic, whilst, Priyanka loved fairy tales.
She envisioned herself to be a Cinderella, waiting for her Prince, Karthik to find her lost shoe. To appease her, Karthik wrote poems, praising her dark brown eyes with that of a 'Helix Nebula'.
"Helix Nebula?? What's that??" snuffed Priyanka.
"It's a celestial body in space, in the shape of two discs.. I mean, it resembles your eyelids!!" smirked Karthik.
Karthik rolled sideways and rested his head on his palms. The bitter cold made her shiver; her shallow breathing felt a sense of urgency. Strangeness took hold of him when he tried to read her myriad thoughts.
"What's eating you sweetheart??" asked Karthik.
"Nothing. I'm thinking about the dream", smiled Priyanka.
"Ahh!!! The wedding one ?? asked Karthik.
Priyanka blushed, "You were mounted on a steed, I mean a horse... like a Prince!!! The shiny armor and the scabbard worn by you looked magnificent. The steed was swift like a wind marching towards a lonely castle".
Karthik ran his fingers over the bridge of her nose, "Where was my Princess??", asked Karthik in a mockery tone.
"Hang on, my dear Prince!! There was something unique about that castle; there was no ceiling to it.The robust pillars from the floors connected the sky and feathery clouds were hanging above my head. I stood there waiting for you, dressed in a beige gown speckled with roses", Priyanka beamed heartily.
Karthik moved close to her, sensing her sweet fragrance. "Stop it, sweetheart! It's too tempting. Please hear me, there is more to it" smiled Priyanka icily and pushed him.
"You walked towards me, with your head high. I was waiting for you with my bouquet. With no notice, the clouds grew dark and there was a flash, followed by a tremble. We both raised our heads to find the dark clouds gifting us a downpour. A heavy rain came down soaking us", grinned Priyanka.
Karthik chuckled, "Why don't you try your hand in poetry?? Castle, Prince.. and what was the last one???".
Priyanka gave him a fiery stare and mouthed, "Asshole!!!". She turned her back to him, trying to show her brief disappointment and she mumbled, "Wish the dream was true, where there is some real clouds and rain".
In no time, there was a slight shudder that ran through her. She tilted her head to watch the silent sky squatted by the dark clouds. The clouds moved in an arbitrary manner like an angry mob. A violent thunder was accompanied by a bright flash, which illuminated her sorrow stricken face.
"Don't tell me it is going to rain now?" Priyanka whispered in a surprise tone.
Karthik kissed her ears and mumbled, "This is for you, a small gift from me. You will see the clouds getting bigger and darker". She was caught between Karthik's soft kisses and the miracle that was staged.
"On my God! you must be joking", she exclaimed.
"They call themselves as pseudo nimbus; man-made clouds embedded with charge materials; a prototype with 85% accuracy. My colleague has been on this model for years. The clouds have completed their assimilation process; once the charge ignites, we will have a mild shower", said Karthik.
She was awestruck with her eyes displaying astonishment. The first drop fell on her; it was cold and felt a tiny prick at the point of impact. The rain was slow and steady to kindle the her lost senses. She pulled him close; her lips parted to taste the rain drops that were glued to his face.
"yuck!!!" she pouted. "You lost your sweetness, my dear Prince" laughed Priyanka.
"That's because of the silver iodide in the charge mixture. They don't taste great. I'm sorry, sweetheart!! They are yet to find a replacement for silver iodide. We must be fortunate to have this breakthrough. With rains failing for more than 3 years, we were so desperate for something", responded Karthik.
"But still... this isn't real, Karthik! This rain is nothing but a piece of synthetic shit that can send us to hell", said Priyanka with anger flashing across her face.
Karthik rose from his position and began to fiddle his phone. Meanwhile, the dark clouds disappeared to bring back the star studded night. Priyanka's words echoed in his mind. She was true. They had very little chances left. Earth's atmosphere had been polluted with enough particulate matter, to reduce the clouds to dust collection bags. Subsequently, the monsoons failed and the last bit of water has been scrapped for agriculture.
"Sorry Karthik! I was trying to spill out the bitter truth. When was the last time you ever saw a clear blue sky???" Priyanka said defiantly and grabbed the phone from him. Her fingers ran over the delicate gadget to reveal more bitterness. The cliffs below them distorted like a kaleidoscopic image and transformed itself into a white floor.This transformation extended to all the objects surrounding them. The whole environment consisting of the sky, stars, cliff and the roaring ocean were mere 3D images generated at a very high frame rate. Karthik and Priyanka looked small in the large room, which resembled more of a white space. their dresses were struck to their bodies due to the rain.
"Sometimes, it is better to dream, where we don't get to see such ugly truth" Karthik stirred.
She turned to walk away from him,"Our planet earth has become a distant dream now. It was never meant to be like this. All we have is a white cubicle that simulates of how our planet was!!! I don't see a future, Karthik" she blurted out.
"We're the future, Priyanka". Karthik walked towards her. "On a cloudy night, I see a royal wedding taking over this world; a night where everything is real and wonderful. With threatening clouds, I march towards you, my Cinderella!! I stand on my knees to watch your blissful smile and the clouds opening to a heavy shower" Karthik said and embraced her.
"Awwwhhhhh.. An astrophysicist talking about Cinderella" giggled Priyanka.
"Will you marry me?" smiled Karthik.
Priyanka bit her lower lip and responded, "I'll marry you, only when you can bring a rain that tastes as sweet as you". They spent the rest of their night in the cubicle, divorced from the rest of the world, drawing warmth and faith from each other. Meanwhile, earth continued its planetary motion hoping for a change.
Priyanka gave him a fiery stare and mouthed, "Asshole!!!". She turned her back to him, trying to show her brief disappointment and she mumbled, "Wish the dream was true, where there is some real clouds and rain".
In no time, there was a slight shudder that ran through her. She tilted her head to watch the silent sky squatted by the dark clouds. The clouds moved in an arbitrary manner like an angry mob. A violent thunder was accompanied by a bright flash, which illuminated her sorrow stricken face.
"Don't tell me it is going to rain now?" Priyanka whispered in a surprise tone.
Karthik kissed her ears and mumbled, "This is for you, a small gift from me. You will see the clouds getting bigger and darker". She was caught between Karthik's soft kisses and the miracle that was staged.
"On my God! you must be joking", she exclaimed.
"They call themselves as pseudo nimbus; man-made clouds embedded with charge materials; a prototype with 85% accuracy. My colleague has been on this model for years. The clouds have completed their assimilation process; once the charge ignites, we will have a mild shower", said Karthik.
She was awestruck with her eyes displaying astonishment. The first drop fell on her; it was cold and felt a tiny prick at the point of impact. The rain was slow and steady to kindle the her lost senses. She pulled him close; her lips parted to taste the rain drops that were glued to his face.
"yuck!!!" she pouted. "You lost your sweetness, my dear Prince" laughed Priyanka.
"That's because of the silver iodide in the charge mixture. They don't taste great. I'm sorry, sweetheart!! They are yet to find a replacement for silver iodide. We must be fortunate to have this breakthrough. With rains failing for more than 3 years, we were so desperate for something", responded Karthik.
"But still... this isn't real, Karthik! This rain is nothing but a piece of synthetic shit that can send us to hell", said Priyanka with anger flashing across her face.
Karthik rose from his position and began to fiddle his phone. Meanwhile, the dark clouds disappeared to bring back the star studded night. Priyanka's words echoed in his mind. She was true. They had very little chances left. Earth's atmosphere had been polluted with enough particulate matter, to reduce the clouds to dust collection bags. Subsequently, the monsoons failed and the last bit of water has been scrapped for agriculture.
"Sorry Karthik! I was trying to spill out the bitter truth. When was the last time you ever saw a clear blue sky???" Priyanka said defiantly and grabbed the phone from him. Her fingers ran over the delicate gadget to reveal more bitterness. The cliffs below them distorted like a kaleidoscopic image and transformed itself into a white floor.This transformation extended to all the objects surrounding them. The whole environment consisting of the sky, stars, cliff and the roaring ocean were mere 3D images generated at a very high frame rate. Karthik and Priyanka looked small in the large room, which resembled more of a white space. their dresses were struck to their bodies due to the rain.
"Sometimes, it is better to dream, where we don't get to see such ugly truth" Karthik stirred.
She turned to walk away from him,"Our planet earth has become a distant dream now. It was never meant to be like this. All we have is a white cubicle that simulates of how our planet was!!! I don't see a future, Karthik" she blurted out.
"We're the future, Priyanka". Karthik walked towards her. "On a cloudy night, I see a royal wedding taking over this world; a night where everything is real and wonderful. With threatening clouds, I march towards you, my Cinderella!! I stand on my knees to watch your blissful smile and the clouds opening to a heavy shower" Karthik said and embraced her.
"Awwwhhhhh.. An astrophysicist talking about Cinderella" giggled Priyanka.
"Will you marry me?" smiled Karthik.
Priyanka bit her lower lip and responded, "I'll marry you, only when you can bring a rain that tastes as sweet as you". They spent the rest of their night in the cubicle, divorced from the rest of the world, drawing warmth and faith from each other. Meanwhile, earth continued its planetary motion hoping for a change.
